What's the future for the Confederate statues?

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Now that two confederate statues that once called Memphis parks home are down, they are being stored at a Memphis police facility.

University of Memphis School of Law professor, Steven Mulroy said from his point of view, the City of Memphis didn’t break any laws by selling two parks in order to remove two controversial statues.

"I think what happened here, the city was being clever,” Mulroy said.

The transaction between city leaders and the Memphis Greenspace organization led by Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner allowed the process to remove the Nathan Bedford Forrest and Jefferson Davis statue quite easy.

The statues are now being stored at a Memphis police facility.

"They were trying to get relief from the historical commission, they couldn't. They were trying to get relief from the mediation process and they couldn’t because in their view the Sons of Confederate veterans weren’t negotiating in good faith,” Mulroy said.

Mulroy said the future of the statues could very well be a mystery now that it’s no longer property of the city.

A spokesperson for the Sons of Confederate Veterans told us a plan to purchase the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue has not been discussed.

"I think they are more interested in challenging what happened last night,” Mulroy said.

Mulroy said the Memphis Greenspace organization has to do what is necessary to keep their new parks safe.

That brings in to question the summer event of Nathan Bedfrod Forrest’s birthday which draws hundreds to where his statue once stood.

"The first amendment does not apply to them as a private entity, so there is no free speech right for the Sons of Confederacy to do anything there,” Mulroy said.

FOX13 counted nine parks in Memphis being privately owned by the Riverfront Development Corporation.

These parks are independently provide security, upkeep, and planning of events.